In On
the Internet: Thinking in Action,[1]
Dreyfus describes learning stages moving from novice, advanced beginner,
competence, proficiency, expertise and eventually to mastery. Through the
stages, the learner acquires the rules to react to context-free features of a task
environment, the maxims to apply to changing situations, and perspectives to
determine which elements of a situation may be important and relevant, and
assimilates the experience of how his choice of important situational elements
resulted in different outcomes to eventually come up with intuitive, automatic
reactions to changing situations. Ultimately as a master, the learner
selectively risks going beyond his prior empirical knowledge to develop new
perspectives and responses that may lead to performance that exceeds
conventional expertise. He posits that to move from proficiency to expertise
and onward, embodied experience as vulnerable human beings exposed to risky
surprises is essential. He further theorizes that since this embodied
experience requires the physical presence and “intercorporiality” of a master
teacher, who provides feedback, guidance and exemplary behavior to emulate,
distance learning through the cyberspace cannot produce expertise or mastery in
a learner.
Dreyfus is right to emphasize the
importance of a teacher in guiding a learner through the learning stages to
reach proficiency, expertise and possibly even beyond. A good teacher may
embody the accumulated experience of a culture and society, to impart to the
student what choices of responses to a given situation have worked or seem to
have worked in the past. Instead of experimenting with thousands of
perspectives, the learner may narrow down his choices to a much smaller number
and move to become proficient and expert. In addition, if the teacher can
demonstrate the expertise and mastery that the learner is eventually going to
acquire, the latter can be motivated by seeing the feasibility and benefits and
imitate the former.
During his public ministry on earth,
Jesus chose 12 among his disciples, called them apostles, and taught them by
living with and loving them, teaching them both in public and separately away
from the crowd, and sending them out to do the same things that he was doing –
that is, preaching about the kingdom of God, driving out evil spirits, and
healing people. Jesus embodied the importance of teaching by examples. Apostle
Paul likewise was a teacher by examples. He writes to the Corinthian church
that his “way of life in Christ Jesus … agrees with what I teach everywhere in
every church” (I Cor 4:17, NIV). He lived what he taught and set an example for
the church. He could boldly state, “Follow my example, as I follow the example
of Christ.” (I Cor 11:1, NIV). Jesus’ warning about a non-exemplary teacher
further emphasizes the importance of a good, exemplary teacher. In regards to
the hypocritical teachers of the law, who placed heavy burdens on other
people’s shoulders while not willing to move a finger themselves, Jesus said,
“All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not
ye after their works: for they say, and do not.” (Mat 23:3, KJV).
While distance
learning may not provide teaching by examples, the physical presence of
teachers may not be as important for certain subject matters. Technical
proficiency with automated responses can be achieved via distance learning. For
example, the American Heart Association has long taught Advanced Cardiac Life
Support through its website modules and simulation as well as in-class
teaching. Surgeons have acquired laparoscopic and robotic surgical skills in
simulated laboratories with mannequins. Teaching pattern recognition for
radiologic and ultrasound studies can be done by programmed instructions
on-line just easily as in person. Even foreign languages may be taught through
tapes, CD’s, and on-line, though a live teacher may teach cultural nuances
better.
Lastly, in a
study of the Word of God, where living in accordance with the Word is at least
as important as learning the Word, lack of an embodied human teacher in
distance learning may not necessarily represent a significant disadvantage.
Jesus stated regarding teachers, “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your
Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren” (Mat 23:8, KJV). The revealed truth
of the Bible is best taught by the Revealer Himself. After Jesus ascended, He
sent the Holy Spirit, who searches the deep things of God (I Cor 2:10) and
teaches and reminds them to us (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit can overcome the
limitations of on-line teaching and teach us what we need to know in the Word,
with or without the presence of an embodied human teacher. The saving ministry
of tele-evangelists is a testimony to how the Holy Spirit can work effectively
even over a distant medium. Recorded sermons can transcend time and space to
transform people’s lives, when the Spirit works in the listening learner. God
is effective in empowering transmission of His treasured truth, even when the
embodied teachers are only “jars of clay” (II Cor 4:7, NIV).
NB: This was my essay for Orientation Seminar for MABS at RTS in May 2017.
